I wake up in the hospital wing, feeling groggy and out of it as I open my eyes and sit up in confusion.
"Hey, relax." I jump at the sound of a voice, turning to see Sirius sitting next to my bed. "You passed out in the middle of class because apparently you took the leaves off of a Drigomid plant, which releases a toxin that is used to make sleeping potions. It's actually exactly what Sprout told us not to do, but you were high on painkillers, so."
I barely listen to his explanation, as taking one look at him is enough to get me angry and have me throwing off the sheets that cover me. I stand up and circle around the bed as he hops to his feet.
"Cassidy, wait." He stands in front of me, "Can we just talk?"
"I have nothing to say to you, Black." I walk past him, but he grabs my arm. Without thinking, I yelp out at the pain that courses through me from the cuts that my father put in me, which are still healing.
He retracts his arm and looks at me in alarm and confusion as my eyes widen in realization at what I've done.
"What was that?" He asks lowly, glancing at my arm before scanning my face.
"Just a bruise," I lie easily, turning around and going to head out of the room before he grabs my hand and pulls my sleeve up, aiming my forearm at the light so the word BITCH can be seen clear as day.
I yank my arm away as he stares at the word, an unreadable expression on his face as I back away from him.
"Who the hell did that to you?" His voice is a low growl, and I shrug.
"What's it to you?" I ask, masking my hurt from his betrayal with a nonchalant expression, "Gonna go tell the dinner table?"
He just continues to stare at me, and I laugh dryly.
"Maybe you would've done fine in Slytherin after all."
I don't mean it, but I need to hurt him like he hurt me. I find that after saying it, however, I feel worse, so I turn on my heel before I can see his sad eyes, storming out of the Hospital Wing and into the corridor. I walk quickly, pushing away angry and sad tears alike before someone throws something at me and I lose it.
"Can you just leave me the hell alone?" I shout at the Ravenclaw boy once the newspaper bounces off of my chest, people turning as I yell, "What is wrong with all of you anyway? I didn't choose to be transferred! I didn't choose any of this! Stop being shitty people and just move on!"
They look away, some seeming guilty but others laughing as the Ravenclaw boy heads in the opposite direction.
"Just wanted you to know you made the headline, Milton!" He calls behind him, and my stomach drops, looking down at the newspaper he had thrown at me and quickly unravelling it.
Sure enough, my surprised expression gazes back up at me, blinking in confusion and looking as though I just saw a ghost. Above me, in large black letters read the headline.
FROM SNAKE TO LION, THE VERY FIRST HOUSE TRANSFER IN HISTORY
I cover my mouth with my hand and back up until I hit the wall, my eyes scanning over the story.
Cassidy Milton, of the infamous pureblood Slytherin family, has just made wizarding world history. The first day at Hogwarts is usually a time where newcomers get sorted into the houses they'll spend the next seven years in, but for Milton, the case is a little different. Former Slytherin student, she was suddenly transferred to Gryffindor, much to everyone's shock. Milton claims that 'the transition has been hard', and her 'classmates are nothing but ruthless'. Not only that, but upon an interview with her father, he says that he 'never expected such a disgraceful occurrence' to happen in his family, and he is 'beyond disappointed'.
I can't read any further, choking back a sob and throwing the paper down in anger before crouching down to the floor and digging my hands into my hair.
"Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit," I repeat, over and over as I replay the words. The words that she claims I said, but were never uttered from my mouth, and the words that she claims my father said that I have no doubt are true. I play them over and over in my head until it's too much and I have to stand up. I get to my feet and start running through the corridors, out the doors and onto the Hogwarts grounds. I pass the Whomping Willow, a ruthless tree that was planted in my first year. I pass the hut that the gamekeeper of Hogwarts, Rubeus Hagrid, lives in. I sprint all the way as tears fly down my cheeks and I reach the Forbidden Forest. I keep running until I can no longer see the grounds through the trees behind me, at which part I fall to the ground and begin to cry.
It's too much. All of it. Being transferred, the bullying. I thought I could take that. I thought to myself, 'hell, I've been through worse', but now with Deighton, and the Daily Prophet, and Sirius betraying me and then seeing my arm, I can't handle it all. I need a break. I need to just disappear into nothing for a day and come back to everything being normal. I don't know what normal is, but it's sure as hell not this.
I lie there on the forest floor, my crying slowly dwindling into short, shaky breaths as the sun goes down and it gets dark. I hear noises all around me. Hooves beating, something rattling, even what sounds like a deranged whisper. But I don't move from my spot. I just lie there, wrapping myself in my robes to try and protect myself from the cold. I don't care that my fingers are going numb, I just warm them up with a spell and stay where I am. I don't want to go back. Not ever again.
Eventually, I drift off, my dreams plagued with my father shouting at me and Richard Deighton's hands roaming my body. It's full of Mulciber's sick drawings and Rita Skeeter's fake smile. It's littered with everything that has haunted me in these last few days, and if it wasn't my reality, I would wonder what kind of sick monster would come up with a nightmare like this.
Finally, after what feels like hours of not really sleeping and just shifting around, jumping slightly when I hear a noise that snaps me out of my daze, I wake up to birds chirping. I check my watch, seeing that it's five in the morning, and I missed dinner and curfew and everything last night. People are probably wondering where I am.
I get to my feet as light trickles through the breaks in the trees above me, twigs snapping under my shoes. The realization that teachers are probably looking for me hits me, and I swear under my breath, staggering in the direction of the forest I'm pretty sure I came from. Eventually, I reach the grounds, and I trudge up to the school as the sun rises over the trees behind me, casting shadows on the dewy grass and a warm glow on the castle.
The corridors are luckily empty, and I make it easily to the Fat Lady, waking her up to give her the password and likely making her hate me even more than she already does.
I tiptoe into the Common Room, which still has a few glowing embers in the fire, and a couple people asleep in random spots.
"Well look who isn't dead. I guess I owe Prongs five bucks."
I turn to the left, where Sirius leans against the wall, a blank expression hiding anger that I know he feels towards me. I glance at him and roll my eyes, striding across the room in the direction of the dormitories.
"No," he says firmly, stopping me in my tracks and tugging on the wrist of what he now knows is my uninjured hand, "You're talking to me whether you want to or not."
He leads me to the couch, waking up some second year and telling him to go to bed so we can sit down. I sigh, honestly too exhausted to be angry. I guess I should give him some sort of explanation, even if he outed me in front of the breakfast table.
"Look, Cassidy. I'm sorry I told everyone about what happened, I just got angry and it slipped and it was horrible of me, okay?" I sit cross legged to face him, and he pulls his knees up to balance his forearms on them, "Can you forgive me?"
I stare at him before sighing, "Yeah, fine."
He looks relieved, and smiles despite himself. I can't help but smile too as he runs a hand through his hair and I can really see how exhausted he is.
"Hold on," I say, "Have you even slept?"
He shakes his head.
"Oh my god." I grin, then using a baby voice, "You were worried about me."
"Shut up," he says as I laugh at his embarrassed expression, "I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you."
"And I'm trying to avoid it," I say, still smiling as he rolls his eyes.
"I need to know who did that to you, Cass."
My smile falls, and I turn my gaze to my hands, not wanting to tell him my pathetic sob story. I barely know this guy and already he knows more about me than any of my other friends. And despite how scary that is, I find that maybe I trust him. Even after what he did, I know he cares about me.
I lift my gaze back to his worried eyes and sigh, "It's no one that goes here, so you don't have to worry about getting revenge or whatever."
His gaze softens, and his voice is barely a whisper as he speaks, "Cassidy, did your dad carve that into your arm?"
I scan his expression, but my hesitation is answer enough, and an exhale escapes his lips as he leans back and runs a hand down his face.
"I'm so sorry," he says, and I think I can hear real remorse in his voice before he sits back up and peers at me, "When you came on the train and you were all beaten up? You didn't get mugged, did you."
It's not a question, and I wouldn't have answered it if it was. My secret is out, and I don't know what to do.
"Sirius, you can't tell another soul," I say softly, "Not even if you're angry. Promise me you won't."
The sorrow that's in his eyes is almost too much for me to bear, but I hold his gaze until he answers.
"Okay. I promise." He seems reluctant, and I sigh, taking his hands and standing up before stepping forward and wrapping my arms around his waist. He acts surprised, but then he melts into my embrace, resting his chin on my head and holding me tighter than anyone has in my entire life.
"You should get some sleep," I whisper, and he laughs quietly.
"You're one to talk." We pull away and he looks down at me, "Where have you even been all night?"
I bite my lip and shrug, "I slept in the forest."
"Wha—the Forbidden Forest?" He asks incredulously.
"Oh, it's forbidden?" I ask, "No one told me that."
He shakes his head in disbelief, "Cassidy, there's some dangerous shit out there, you could've died."
I wave him off, "I was fine. I slept like a baby."
He laughs and I smile at him, sitting down on the couch as he gazes at me in wonder, as if he's really seeing me for the first time. A small smirk appears on his features, and I see how his eyes crinkle at the corners when he smiles. It distracts me for a second, before he runs a hand through his hair and shakes his head again.
"You're something else entirely, Milton."